Amundsen Sea - card photo. Amundsen Sea Coast

Amundsen Sea

The Southern Ocean is the Amundsen Sea. Its waters surrounding Antarctica, so the ice in the waters there are year-round. The northern boundary runs along the beach of Cape Dart, the rest are on the border line of the mainland. Amundsen Sea map shows that the south-east it is strongly presses in Marie Byrd Land. This suburban pond, which is open to the north, so it is free of water mixed with the waters of the ocean. sea ​​area approximately 98 thousand square meters. km. The indicator is the average depth of 286 m.

The main geographical characteristic

The sea was designated in honor of the Norwegianexplorer of the polar regions Roald Amundsen. Together with the adjacent part of the Southern Ocean Amundsen Sea is a place of accumulation of ice Pacific. Viewed reservoir is considered the most difficult areas, little known and severe sea in the world. No ship has not yet been able to reach the coast of the Amundsen Sea ice. And this is not surprising, because the sea is completely covered with ice. They are the barriers and ice cliffs, surrounded by fast ice. Through a sea of ​​the Antarctic ice sheet is discharged, resulting in a huge number of icebergs formed annually.

Sea Shelf is a plain with littleslope to the mainland. The depth at the outer edge of the shelf is 500 m. Flat and steep continental slope has a depth of about 4000 m. Amundsen Sea is bordered by the Ross Sea and Bellingshausen. The coastal zone is occupied shelves and continental glaciers.

Climatic conditions

Sea water has a temperature below the year-round0 degrees as water area is in the Antarctic region. In summer, the salinity of the water is 33.5 ppm. Over the sea is dominated by cold air masses from the continent. Ice covers the sea all year round. Waters freely communicates with the ocean waters. In winter, the sky of the air is very cold. The lowest temperature observed from June to September. On the air temperature influences the speed and direction of the wind. If a sea storm in the south the sea temperature reaches -35 degrees, while in the north drops to -50 degrees. With northerly winds the temperature slightly increases.

In the summer warms slightly and briefly. The warmest months in the Amundsen Sea coast - February, January and December. In February, in the northern parts of the air has a temperature of -8 degrees, and in the southern areas of up to -16 degrees temperature. In the summer on the waters of drift ice. In the south of the sea free water formed small space. In winter, all the sea ice cover. Surface water layers have a temperature of -1.5 degrees.

The inhabitants of a rough sea

The sea water has nototheniids fish thatserve as prey for albatrosses and penguins. The Amundsen Sea are found whales, swim in the congestion area of ​​ice. By the shores of the Antarctic killer whales swim. On the glaciers of live seals, sea leopards.